SMU racks up win against the national side

How far will the City Boys go under Derek Chan?

After a tumultous season that left the City Boys without any silverware for the first time in years, the fans finally have something to cheer about.

On Friday night, the City Boys took part in a 3 way friendly warm-up tournament (involving the National 7s side, Police and SMU). Despite some early hiccups in Game 1 against the national side, SMU pulled a fast one on the national side when they met for the second time in the tournament, winning the game by a solitary try courtesy of team captain, Derek Chan.

Other notable tries of the evening include tries by former Raffles scrumhalf, Justin Lum and newly appointed president, Daniel Kong, who definitely showed some decent pace. The friendly match also marked former U19 captain, Sherman Yeo's return to the fray. Boasting bigger guns and a better bod - the forward, who underwent a massive fitness and gym stint in Istanbul for 6 months, returned for his first competitive outing since IRAUG.

The City Boys are in a precarious position, being one loss away from being dropped off the prestigious Sports Excellence Scheme. Newly appointed president Daniel Kong told our reporters, "This is a must win season. Either we win or SMU Rugby's closing down." When asked about his plans if the unfortunate happens, Daniel said "I might take up knitting classes".

Will the SMU boys relive the glory days under new leadership, and how will they gel as a team with fresh faces?

One year on...

Just so you know.

One year on.

We still remember you.

Rest in peace, Elisha.

Is 6 local players in your starting lineup good enough for you?

Tomorrow marks the start of Singapore's A5N campaign...and as always there are always controversies involved in the National team during every major tournament, and this year isn't short of its own fair share once again.

Newsletter Issue 31, April 2010

SINGAPORE RUGBY LIONS XV


The following players have been selected to represent Singapore.

1 George Rippon (Wanderers)
2 Gaspar Tan (Bedok Kings)
3 Nick Dance (Bucks)
4 Nick Macksey (Wanderers)
5 Andrew Bennett (SCC)
6 Joe Braithwaite (Wanderers)
7 Matt Roberts (Capt, Wanderers)
8 Mohd Ashraf (Blacks)
9 Suhaimi Amran (SCC)
10 Tom Burns (SCC)
11 Desmond Wee (Bedok Kings)
12 Charlie Ryan (Bucks)
13 Matt Taloni (Wanderers)
14 Goh Beng Chuan (Bedok Kings)
15 Muhd Zaki (SCC)

• Only 6 local players in the starting line up and a whole string of questionable 'quality' aka expatriate players, who by the way Singapore will probably not see in the next international tournament - Which will also pretty much explain or suggest the amount of continuity we have seen over the last 5 years or so in Singapore's 'development'.
  

• Where's last year's captain, Ben Wheeler? or 2 years ago national team captain too, Chris Gilbert ?!
  

What i am saying is.... Union! why bother starting rugby in primary schools and all that, if you are not going to start relying on the very talent you grow in your backyard? Young kids pick up rugby hoping to don the National jersey, and then when we grow up and realize that the criteria to being a national player is so different from what we thought of it to be...people just lose faith in the system.

Look at the line up and you see ONLY two stand out local players (Gasper Tan & Desmond Wee) who were immersed early in the system, and with the exposure given to them have now become great players in their own right. (if i am not wrong, combined both their number of caps together, it might total up to be more than the rest of the entire national team players cap put together, now thats jus ridiculous!). If the union does that with more local players, don't you think there might be a high possibility we will grow a solid pool of national players? I mean of course they have to be of quality. But problem i have seen lately, quality is higher subjective!

Damn. i am tired of ranting about the same thing every year...over the last 5 years, Singapore can't say that we have progressed all that much.

http://smu-rugbynews.blogspot.com/2008/11/arfu-2008-can-singapore-do-it-again.html
http://smu-rugbynews.blogspot.com/2009/11/history-do-you-know-who-are-anchor-reds.html

Exclusive: Amos Siow

The season comes to a close and team captain, Amos Siow, hangs up his boots after 4 long years. It is the end of an illustrious career - of not just achievements, but establishment, and much of what SMU Rugby is today owes it to what he did for the club. Of course, very few know what he has done so just for your viewing pleasure and as a tribute to our captain, we have compiled a list of what he has done (at least according to what we know).

1. Amos runs the blog which now has 58,000 visits.
   
2. Amos kick-started the Tri-Universities (now known as the 4-Unis) and won it for 2 consecutive years.
3. He pushed for the first ever IRAUG tournament - with SMU coming in a credible 5th. He also scored against Curtin University, securing SMU's first overseas win in Perth.
4. He helped push SMU Rugby into Sports Excellence
   
5. Took part in the Blacks Midnight 10s in 2007 and emerged as Bowl Champions
6. Was part of the team that romped NTU 49-0 in the NUS 7s finals

The SMU Rugby executive committee would like to express sincere gratitude to Amos for his unrivaled contributions to the club and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

SMU 49 - SIM 15

SMU's 4-Unis season came to a close on Tuesday night with a 49-15 win over tournament debutants, SIM. The game got off to a quick start with club president, Derek Chan, scoring a quick try within minutes of the kick off. The SMU side put on a credible performance putting in tries all round, including a try coming off a cross-field kick. Scorers for the night include Derek Chan (2), Amos Siow (2), Wong Kah Wai, Ruzaini Sani, Melvin Teo and Eugene Wee.

The win, however, was less than satisfactory. Clearly there are disciplinary problems in the SMU camp, this time round with senior player, Chong Wei Nurn, sin-binned for allegedly causing excessive hurt to his opposition number. The game marks the end of a disappointing season and the City Boys must look to turn their fortunes around in the 2010 Singapore University Games in September/October. With the departure of several key players including captain, Amos Siow, the City Boys must be looking at the transfer market to bring in several big names to fill some big shoes. When queried about the possibility of signing more big names in the summer, team manager - Andrew Tam refused to rule out that possibility.

On behalf of the SMU Rugby team, we would like to thank all fans and readers for your unwavering support over the last 2009/10 season.

SMU knocked out of 4-Unis Finals

In Game 2 of the 4-Unis, defending champions SMU were beaten 25-20 in a close encounter with NUS. In a game that was crucial to SMU's title hopes, the City Boys never looked like the dominant force they were supposed to be - going down by one try in the early minutes of the game. The half ended 5-3, with team captain, Amos Siow, slotting one between the posts.

And much was expected from the City Boys, especially when they clawed their way back into the game, even at one point leading the game by 20-5 - courtesy of tries from in-centre, Wang En Jian, and second row, Nicolas Hwang. But in the most dramatic of fashions which included flanker, Ryan Tan, getting sent off, the City Boys threw away their lead eventually falling behind 25-20. The game was set for a dramatic end when winger, Josiah Goh came off the bench and looked to have scored a last gasp try - capitalizing on an NUS error in letting the ball bounce in their try area. The 'try', however, was not given - and when the final whistle sounded, the City Boys were dumped out of the finals.

The City Boys can only groan about a series of 'could-haves' and the loss marks a disappointing season for SMU Rugby - especially after a disastrous showing at SUNIG. The City Boys also have much to think about in terms of discipline, chalking up their 2nd consecutive red card in as many games. SMU plays their final group stage game this Thursday against new tournament entrants - SIM.

Bryan Ng gets 38 weeks

SMU's vice president, Bryan Ng, has been slapped with a 38 week ban for his vulgar outburst at the SMU-NTU match. The former national SEA games winger was previously on probation for his 'eye-gouging' incident at SUNIG 2008, and was faulted for committing an offence while on probation.

The vulgar outburst (consisting of 4 words) came from the winger as a result of a controversial decision by the referee late in the game. Experts on the matter have cited the decision as 'harsh' and many are sympathetic with the young lad. SMU's head coach, Hairul Naim, has kept mum on the matter, instead choosing to focus on SMU's crucial match against NUS on Thursday.

The winger, however, seemed to have moved on quickly, putting the incident behind him by clinching the title of Mr Waikiki 2010 - in the process pouring beer down the chest of his fellow pageant partner and lapping it all up at her belly button.

City Boys taste defeat against Boon Lay Warriors

In SMU's first game of the 4 unis, the defending champions suffered a defeat to the Boon Lay Warrior by a score of 24-5. The City Boys could only manage a single unconverted try through the club's president, Derek Chan, while vice-president Bryan Ng has been suspended for the next game, after being shown a red-card for swearing at the referee over a controversial decision.

The Boon Lay Warriors were out to prove that last year's victory over the City Boys in the SUniG 7s was no fluke and proved once again too much for the City Boys, and have now shown signs of competing for top honors this season.

For the defending champions, it looks like more work needs to be done and rectified quickly, and there will be no better way than to come away with a victory against tournament favourites, NUS.

Rumor has it, Head Coach Hairul Naim might be possibly facing the axe if he doesn't turn things around for the club that has enjoy rich success over the last 3 years.

SMU takes on NTU in the first match of the 4 unis

Other news:
- NUS beat SIM with a convincing victory of 75-5, with Mohd Raihan reported to be in top form with the kickimg tee, slotting kicks from every where.

Video clips from friendly match against ACJC

Below feature some of the video clips taken from SMU's preparation friendly match against ACJC

1. Ben Wai's 90m try



2. If you have to get back 10m when a penalty is awarded, you should always face your opponents, but in this case, you can see how our fullback takes it a bit to the extreme and probably backpedals more than 10m to get into position.

4-Unis Cup Kicks Off Tonight!

With the 4-Unis cup kicking off its first match today, the defending champions - SMU - have much to prove. In a press conference this morning, Head Coach Hairul Naim set things straight by naming his squad of 30. SMU Rugby has much to prove after a dismal showing at the 2009 Singapore University Games. We now give you a wrapup of some decisions made, the debutants and some surprise call-ups .

1. Shen Sijie, a.k.a. The Animal, returns to the pitch after taking a 2 year break from rugby. Once rated one of the 'dirtiest players ever' (see previous post), the Animal is expected to bolster a forward pack that is sorely missing the services of former executive committee members - Sherman Yeo and Daniel Lee - who are currently partying in Europe.

The Animal picking his prey before the game

2. Former SA vice captain, Eugene Tan, has been named in the squad of 30, despite a prolonged hiatus from rugby. The player was last seen hitting the gym, screaming profanities directed at opposing teams whilst engaging in his workout. Will his quirky ways blend well with the team?

3. With the inclusion of Stuart and Kah Wei to an already impressive backline, team captain, Derek Chan, has hailed his backline as 'one of the best SMU has ever seen'. Much is expected from the talented backline, and in Derek Chan's words - "we can expect to see some champagne rugby".

4. SMU Rugby has finally changed their transfer policy, and have started looking away from this sunny island for talent. Our talent scouts this year have brought two foreign imports to the team - namely Luc (French) and Dunk (Thai). The two impact players are expected to figure in Coach Hairul's plans to retain the 4-Unis Cup.

The City Boys kick off their first match against the Boon Lay Warriors at 8pm on Thursday, 25 February, at the NUS Sports Complex.

Raffles duo sign for SMU

With the 4-Unis Tournament in just 2 weeks, SMU's newly appointed head coach, Hairul, was quick to make a move in the transfer market - snapping up Wong Kah Wei (who plays scrumhalf) and Stuart Ho (who plays out-centre). The duo, both U-20 players, are expected to start in the upcoming tournament.

At the press conference, Stuart said "I am happy to offer my services to the team. Hopefully, I can add some sting to the backline and SMU Rugby can retain the 4-Unis Cup."

When quizzed about the new signings, team captain - Derek Chan said, "We are more than happy that Stuart and Kah Wei have signed for us. Yes, I am a fan of both players and with these two new signings, we can look forward to returning to our winning ways."

SMU appoint Hairul and DMC for upcoming tournament

After a dismal performance at the Singapore University Games 2009, SMU's team manager yesterday announced the appointment of two new coaches - Hairul Naim and Daniel Marc Chow - in the build up to the Tri-Universities 2010. There had been constant speculation as to who would assume the role of head coach vacated by Rong over the Christmas break - and it was no surprise that DMC and Hairul emerged as favourites for the position. In fact, in the build up to this appointment, bookmakers had placed Hairul as a 2-1 favourite for the position, with DMC close behind as a 3-1 favourite.

What was surprising was the appointment of two coaches - a move that caught everyone by surprise, the first time SMU has had two coaches concurrently. Will the 2007 SEA Games duo be able to rub their magic on the City Boys and bring back an era of success?